re: 20 hour work week to solve poverty(Posted by mograyback on 1/6/13 at 6:24 pm to HempHead)

quote:akes everything more expensive.

No, just no.

As someone who operates a small farm, and profits fairly well from it, I can tell you that the current agricultural paradigm, while it has flaws in many places, allows for cheaper and better distributed food than any other conceivable system.

Bull. And you're looking at it one dimensionally. Also, your profits are irrelevant to this point.. that just adds fluff to your statement. Your little farm operation is rather irrelevant to my point.

I know people don't like clicking links and reading for more than 30 seconds at a time, but this absolutely crushed what you've said. LINK

re: 20 hour work week to solve poverty(Posted by HempHead on 1/6/13 at 6:26 pm to mograyback)

quote:And you're looking at it one dimensionally.

What dimension am I looking at it from?

ETA: I am well aware, probably more so than you, of the flaws and terrible things that can arise from industrial farming. This does not change its ability to feed an enormous amount of people on smaller amounts of land.

Where did I get this? Are you asking if this is actually happening? Because it is.

Trade benefits both nations. Bull.

Washington is one of the finest places on earth to grow apples. It's nothing but a crime that many of these apple farms have been shut down because it's cheaper (in terms of dollars, not cheaper in the big picture) to import them from far away lands.

The example of the UK importing 114k of milk while exporting 117k is a prime example of the stupidity.

re: 20 hour work week to solve poverty(Posted by HempHead on 1/6/13 at 7:05 pm to mograyback)

quote:Because you think it makes sense to cut down apple trees in Washington because it's cheaper to import them from China and New Zealand.

Perhaps it is, perhaps it is not. I am not privy to the business operations of the institutions that make these decisions. It may be that I would act differently, were I in a position to do so.

I do know, however, that they operate under market forces (unfortunately, federal involvement in agriculture greatly distorts true price structure). It may be that, under current price conditions for all facets of production and distribution, it is more efficient to engage in the current mode of import/export and nationwide shipping than otherwise. Were these conditions to change, production would adjust accordingly.

One must also recognize that our current cornucopia of food is the result of consumer demand. If consumers, like most of my customers, want locally-grown, seasonal produce, then that is what they will get. Currently, consumers demand nearly all foods at all times of the year. So long as there is the capacity to do so, this is what agricultural producers will meet.